Mentor vs Meddler Parents Vol. 2

Over the next few months, I’d like to highlight some of the traits we see in parents who act as mentors or meddlers in their junior's golf development. As you can imagine, a mentor plays a crucial role in offering positive support and guidance, while meddlers tend to disrupt the efficient development process by introducing unnecessary negativity, actions, or pressures.

A Mentor Sport Parent...

• Teaches through experience: Failure is a stepping stone for improvement, not a setback. Offer support to your junior as they navigate challenges and understand the value of firsthand experience. The parents who have experienced a sport at a high-level understand the process of becoming great at their sport. Remember that experience and apply that encouragement to your junior!

A Meddler Sport Parent:

• Fixer: They are always on the front lines, solving every minor hiccup, unintentionally stunting their junior’s problem solving abilities.

Golf is hard. Understanding that your junior will have their share of failures as well as successes is part of the journey. Value and highlight the great shots and good times knowing that this is a lifelong adventure and each junior progresses at their own pace. 

Be the calm in their game, not the chaos.